


One Strange Number

by GallifreyanDetective



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Crossover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-14
Updated: 2014-03-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 20:19:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/802808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GallifreyanDetective/pseuds/GallifreyanDetective
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On a sunny and rather peaceful day, Harold Finch and John Reese recieve the number of one Rose Tyler. This is when their most amazing and strangest adventure starts. /The first chapter is from PoI's side, the second DW side, and the third is when everything collides.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An unexpected number

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually my first Person of Interest fanfic, so I hope I got the characters alright. I'll try to update once my exams are over.  
> I apologise in advance for any mistake I could have made, as English is not my native language. I do appreciate tips about that.
> 
> Side note, if anyone's interested; British Social Security numbers look like AB 12 34 56 C, while American ones look like 123 45 6789.
> 
> Both shows go to their respective owners.
> 
> Timeline: Happens after the events of the end of season 2 for Person of Interest (SPOILERS), and right before Doosmday for Doctor Who.
> 
> Enjoy!

  
**One Strange Number**  
Person of Interest / Doctor Who

John Reese walked the streets of New York with his usual assured step -it was the best way to go unnoticed- towards the café. The morning sun touched his face with a welcome warmth that made Reese's lips twitch upwards. Today would be a good day, he decided. Finch hadn't called him yet, meaning that there wasn't any new Number to rescue for the moment. However, Reese was in a good mood, and decided to bring his employer a cup of tea anyway; much like he'd do when Finch called him in the morning.

John moved through the morning crowd in the streets, a crowd he'd learnt to get used to as New York was one of the 'cities that never slept'. He wasn't bothered though, he had learnt to enjoy it. The crowd would bring him protection and a good place to hide whenever he was following a Number and didn't want to be noticed. It hasn't always been like this though, when he was working as an operative of the CIA, his missions most usually brought him to locations much less enjoyable than New York. Or he was too busy on his missions to appreciate his surroundings.

And then he had been a homeless, depressive and dirty vagrant. He had been avoiding crowds then, prefering to travel underground or through the dirty alleys behind buildings, and using the trains when there was the less people possible.

This time was over however; now that he worked for... or rather, with, Harold Finch, John's had enough free time to do as he pleased. And feeling the morning sun lit his face pleased him indeed.

Opening the door of the café, Reese let his senses be overwhelmed by the sent of fresh bacon, eggs, coffee and other possible breakfasts, the chatter of people eating together or the orders being prepared behind the counter. John ordered a cup of coffee, a cup of Sencha green tea and a box of donuts and waited patiently. He usually went to different cafés across the city in the morning, as to not be noticed. Today was one of those rare days where we could go to this one café, where the donuts were just delicious- just the right amount of sugar and frosting. _Definitely a good day_ , Reese thought, as he received his order and exited the café.

The ex-CIA operative strolled along the streets towards the Library, their QG. Harold would undoubtedly be there already at this hour, probably working even. John wondered if his employer even knew how and when to take a break- he had, more than once, found Finch sleeping with his head resting on the keyboard in an uncomfortable position, lines of codes flashing on the multiple screens. John eased a smile at the memory; Finch had looked peaceful, but he'd had to move him or the older man would have woken up hours later with an even sorer neck.

Arriving at the back entrance of the building, Reese looked around quickly, making sure he hadn't been followed. When he was sure he was alone, he opened the door and slipped inside. As he walked up the stairs, the familiar scent of old books engulfed him. A few seconds later, he was greeting Bear with a scratch behind the dog's ears. The Malinois was waggling his tail in contentment as he followed his master into the room. Finch was unsurprisingly seated in front of the screens, his fingers dancing across the keyboard.

"Hello, Finch."

Stopping the movement of his hands for a moment, Harold turned his whole upper body to greet Reese. "Hello, Mr. Reese."

John smiled and put the box of donuts open on the desk, along with the cup of tea, as Bear settled into his bed near the large table. After nodding to his employer's thanks, Reese sipped coffee from his own cup. As he glanced at the board where they usually put the picture of the new Number, he noticed that it was empty. "No new number, I take it?"

"Indeed," Finch replied, fishing a donut from the box, carefully wrapping it in a napkin as to not dirty his fingers. "This is why I did not call you," he added and took a bite of the pastry.

Reese raised an eyebrow and looked down at his employer. Had he misjudged and annoyed Finch by coming anyway? Not moving, he waited as he saw the older man opening his mouth again to speak.

"Although, I cannot complain," Harold said and let the corner of his lips twitch in a brief smile. From the corner of his eyes, he saw his employee ease in his stance, and continued, "This is from the H&J café a few blocks away, isn't it?"

"Can't hide anything from you, Finch," John said with a smile as he took a seat.

They fell in a comfortable silence, eating and sipping their beverages with the sounds from the computer as a background noise, which was also comforting. Only the sound of Bear's squeaky toy would break the silence from time to time, but neither men wanted to put a stop to it.

When the last donut was eaten, Finch carefully wiped his lips with the napkin, and sipped the rest of his tea. "It was very nice of you to come, Mr. Reese, but I am afraid I have no entertainment to provide you today." There was no hidden message as most people would think, just a simple statement, as Harold closed the donut box and placed it in the bin nearby, along with his empty cup.

"We're in a _library_ , Finch," Reese replied, amusement clear in his voice. "I'm sure I can find something to do. As much as John loved the sun and the city, he also enjoyed a day inside, from time to time. Especially if he could spend it in the company of his employer.

"As you wish," the older man replied. He wouldn't let any of his emotions filter on his behaviour, but if he was honest with himself, he did prefer having John's company rather than staying alone with his computer, even if they didn't talk. The recent events with Samantha Grooves, or Root, and the Machine had left him unsure of Reese staying with him in the end. But when they did talk, John had already forgiven him, the virus, the computer, Ordos... Jessica. And Finch had never been more grateful. However, he would gladly take the burden off Reese's shoulders, as he new the younger man blamed himself for Jessica's death.

But now wasn't the time to linger on such thoughts. John was there, and that was all that mattered. Turning again to face his screens, Harold went back to coding. Reese stood up, and looked through the shelves full of old books for something to entertain him. He found himself in front of the row of books that hid the small safe with the picture of people John new Harold hadn't been able to help. Women whose number kept coming up, and Finch'd had to watch, unable to help. Reese would never hold his employer as responsible for the death of these women, of Jessica. It had been his own decision to let her go after all. Never had he doubted Harold. 'If Finch has something to do with the virus, then he must have good reasons', he had said to Shaw the other day. Finch was a good person, and Reese knew it.

Walking past this particular row of books, he continued his research, until he heard Harold call for him. "What is it?" he asked as he moved to join Finch at the computer.

"We have a new number," Harold said, turning his neck as far as it'd go to watch Reese walking up to him. When the ex-CIA operative was close enough, Finch held his phone up for the other man to see. A list of authors and initials was displayed on the screen; a text from the Machine. John immediately knew what to do, and walked back to the shelves to retrieve the corresponding books. Finch would never say it aloud, but he was glad that John had discovered how the numbers worked. He could avoid the unnecessary pain of standing up, and anyway, it was always better to work together. Harold frowned as he stopped his own train of thoughts, and right in time, as Reese reappeared with the books.

Finch opened a window on one of the screens, ready for the search of the new Social Security number. John turned the books to read the numbers to him, but there was something wrong. The first two books and the last one were some of the rare books in the Library without numbers; only the initials of the authors could be used. The number would mix letters and digits then.

"Could this be a foreign number?" Reese asked. It was the first time the Machine had given them the number of someone living out of the United States. John knew the Machine was watching everyone around the world, but he was still surprised.

Harold nodded, though equally surprised, and worked on the keyboard again, enlarging his search. "Possibly." He typed in the numbers, and they both waited for a result. When it was done, John settled the books on the desk, and bent over, a hand on the back of Finch's chair.

Finally, the picture of a young, blonde woman was displayed across the screen. "Rose Tyler. Born in 1986, London," Finch read. "No criminal records, she hasn't moved from London, apparently..."

"London?" Reese repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"It would seem so," Finch nodded. "She also appears to live a quiet life... Ah, wait." Finch's hands moved quickly on the keyboard, windows opening one after the other on the screens. "She was working in a shop in 2005, and was a witness of an explosion."

"A robbery that turned badly?" Reese suggested. "Do you think she would be eliminated because she saw the criminals? It was back in 2005 though, why would they act only now?"

Finch stayed silent as he didn't have any answer. He kept looking at the screens in search of more information. "Here," he said. "It says she's been missing for a whole year. She was back home few months before Christmas of 2006. But there is absolutely nothing that explains why and where she could have been all this time." Frustrated at the lack of information, Finch dug deeper into his sources as John waited patiently beside him. What he found though, stopped him right there and then, and he stared at the screens.

Reese frowned, "What is it?"

"She's... She's reported dead," Finch swallowed. It didn't make sense, the Machine wouldn't give them the number of a dead person. And yet, they had received it.

"What happened?" Reese asked, just as surprised as his employer was.

"An attack apparently... Soldiers, all around the world. Do you remember anything about it?"

"I don't think so," John replied. He'd had other things in mind at the time. Seven years ago he was still with Jessica, but was about to let her go.

"Neither do I," Harold replied, frowning. He had been too busy working on the Machine with Nathan to go out. "There is, however, a list of dead people, and she's there," Finch continued.

"We received her number though," Reese said. "So she must be alive. Did they find her body?"

 _An interesting question_ , Finch thought. As a reply, he tapped quickly on the keyboard, looking for the answer. "Apparently not. Her mother was also listed as dead, and no body was found either."

"Well, that's a strange one," the ex-soldier said as he straightened up. "So what do we do, if she's supposed dead?"

Finch turned his chair to face Reese. "That, Mr. Reese, I have no idea."


	2. An unexpected adventure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story from the Doctor and Rose's point of view. Next chapter will see all the characters interacting.
> 
> Both shows go to their respective owners.
> 
> Timeline: Happens after the events of the end of season 2 for Person of Interest (SPOILERS), and right before Doosmday for Doctor Who.
> 
> Enjoy!

  
**One Strange Number**  
Doctor Who / Person of Interest

Rose Tyler walked happily, hand-in-hand with the man -actually, the alien- she had spent the last two years of her life with. She swayed their linked hands back and forth between them as she smiled and listened to the Doctor's rambling.

“But you know,” he said. “They actually discover time travel in fifty years from now, so I may have rushed things a bit.” The Time Lord smile-grimaced, amusement still in his eyes, reassuring Rose that it hadn't been a too serious mistake. “They would have discovered it at some point anyway.”

“Sure, Doctor,” Rose said, greatly amused. It had been one of the few of their adventures that hadn't gone badly. In fact, they hadn't even fully participated in the events, apart from the Doctor meddling with their prototype of time machine. These times were rare, when they weren't running for their lives, and Rose enjoyed every second of it. Not that she didn't enjoy running either, but quiet times were appeasing.

As the Doctor kept talking about the time machine the aliens on this planet had built, Rose felt her thoughts take a less pleasant path. She knew deep in herself that the quiet times would end, and that she probably would have to leave the Doctor. But she also knew that she would never leave the Time Lord _willingly_ , so that only left one option; her departure would not end happily. There had been warnings after all; the _Beast_ when they were on the platform orbiting around a black hole, had said that she would die in battle, soon. And then the Doctor had said that there was a storm coming.

Rose repressed a shiver. As much as she had been certain that nothing would separe the Doctor and herself, she had started to feel doubt rising in her mind.

“Are you alright?” the Doctor asked, looking down at her with slight concern in his eyes.

Rose immediately smiled at him and abandoned her thoughts, “'Course I am!”

Concern left the Doctor as he squeezed her hand and pointed ahead. “Look there! It's a market, how about we go take a look? I could find some pieces for the TARDIS, she's been in a bad mood lately, I could change a thing or two...”

“Maybe she's just mad at you because you tried to rearrange the wires the other day,” Rose laughed. She had been in her room at the time, when she had heard the Doctor cry out. She had run into the console room, only to find the Doctor working under the grating floor of the room, where he could access the wires. He had been sucking on his fingers, and it hadn't taken long for Rose to figure out that he had received an electric shock, courtesy of the ship.

“She's just being stubborn,” the Doctor pouted and Rose laughted harder. All saddening thoughts forgotten, she walked along with the Doctor towards the market place.

Once there, she left the Doctor looking through pieces of metal that could go in the TARDIS, and went to look on her own. She hadn't had time to discover the planet after all, and an alien planet is always interesting to explore. She loved new things, that was part of why she had left with the Doctor in the first place, when he was still wearing a leather jacket and had big ears.

She smiled at the memory of the previous regeneration of the Time Lord, and looked through the merchandises exposed before her. There were a lot of objects she couldn't even name, but she also found clothes and jewelry. One pendant in the form of a rose caught her attention. It was made of a material she didn't know of, as it changed colours and yet still looked translucid. It was attached to a silver chain long enough to be a necklace. Rose took the item in her hand, and was unsurprised at the cold feeling against her palm.

“You're gonna pay for t'at, right?”

Rose turned around quickly, only to find an alien, much taller than her with green skin, towering over her. This is then that she realised she didn't have any money. She opened her mouth to apologise, but she was cut by someone else's reply.

“It's alright, I'll pay.” The Doctor stood close next to Rose, and handed a couple of bills to the alien with a smile that was clearly not friendly, almost daring the alien to take a step closer. After a moment, the alien finally snatched the money from the Doctor's hand, and returned back where he had come from.

“You shouldn't have-” Rose started but once again the Doctor spoke over her.

“It's alright, I didn't know what to do with this extra money,” he smiled at her, a genuine one this time. He placed one of his hands under Rose's, and used his other hand to curl his companion's fingers around the necklace. “A gift is a good excuse to spend money now, isn't it?”

Rose felt her cheeks heat up both at the Doctor's words and lingering touch on her hand. “Thank you,” she said before attaching the necklace around her neck.

With a smile, the Doctor took Rose's hand in his own again before walking back to the TARDIS. He had some new equipment to install now. The pieces he had bought were rubbing against his side as he walked; the pockets of his coat were bigger on the inside, but they still had limits.

When the two travelers arrived back to the ship, the Doctor let go of his companion's hand to fish for his key in the inner pocket of his coat. Opening the doors, he let Rose step inside first, and closed the door behind himself before running to the console. Their whole adventure had only lasted a couple hours, and the Time Lord's feet were itching to run.

“Where to next?” he asked as he pushed a button and pulled a lever, starting the dematerialisation sequence of the TARDIS.

“You pick,” Rose replied as she gripped the console so she wouldn't fall. The rides in the ship with the Doctor were always bumpy.

“I've got just the one, then!” The Doctor ran to the other side of the console to pull another lever, then went to where his companion was and pushed some buttons, brushing his hand against Rose's in the process. With a grin, he looked at her and the TARDIS lurched forward into the Time Vortex. Rose laughed, straightening her grip on the TARDIS console. She was used to the rides now, and she had learnt to enjoy them, even if she ended up on the grating floor by the end.

“We're going to Astrefid, oh you're going to love it!” the Doctor said, running around the console once again to drive his ship. “Three suns, the sky is beautiful at all times!”

Rose was too busy not falling to reply; she'd see the planet when they'd be there anyway. If they landed there, of course, because the Doctor's driving wasn't known to be accurate. Rose laughed inwardly at her own thoughts. She didn't mind landing somewhere else, as long as she was with the Doctor.

But she couldn't contemplate her thoughts further, as the TARDIS brutally shook; effectively making Rose lose her grip and step backwards before falling. She quickly grabbed at whatever she could find -which happened to be the base of one coral strut- so she wouldn't be even more manhandled as she tried to get back up. The Doctor had been taken aback by this sudden change, and was also thrown a few steps back.

“Rose, are you alright?” he asked, glancing at her.

“Yes! What's happening?” The Doctor stayed silent. They were in the Time Vortex, and they shouldn't have encountered problems here. The distress signals the TARDIS usually received were when the ship was orbiting around a planet, and that made the Doctor frown.

When he realised his attempts at stabilising the TARDIS were useless, he ran around the console to grab the screen. Maybe there would be the coordinates of their destination, and he could find an explanation. Unfortunately, he wasn't that lucky; the screen flashed with names of people. Authors, he realised, but he didn't have time to further think about it, as the TARDIS came to a brutal stop. The movement made him fall on his back, but he could see Rose hugging the coral strut with both arms, so she was safe.

The Doctor allowed himself a few seconds to recover, aware of Rose running to kneel by his side. He heard her sigh in relief, and managed to prop himself up on his elbows. Also relieved that they were both still in one piece, the Doctor got up and went back to the screen, Rose following him.

“So, what happened?” Rose repeated her previous question.

“Let's see,” the Doctor said, turning the screen slightly so she could see it too. The names on the screen were still there, it was a list of some sort. “No coordinates, then.”

“So you have no idea of where we are?” Rose raised an eyebrow, worried, and yet curious all the same. “Or _why_ we're here?”

“Not yet,” the Time Lord replied, his tone serious. Then he broke into a wide grin. “Let's find out?”

Unsurprised, Rose smiled. Of course the Doctor wouldn't be one to back away from strange circumstances and an unknown destination. What was the fun in walking away anyway? “Let's,” Rose replied, and followed the Doctor to the TARDIS doors.

With a last grin at his companion, the Doctor opened the door and slipped outside, shortly followed by Rose. Except, they couldn't go much further, as they were faced with two men, and one of them was pointing a gun at them. And let's not forget about the dog, placed in front of the second man. Although he did not look like he was going to attack them just yet, the Doctor quickly stepped to the side, so Rose would be behind him. And when Rose did notice the jeopardy situation they were in, she let out a 'oh'.

The man holding the gun aimed for the Doctor's head, and Rose unconsiously grabbed the Time Lord's sleeve. He had short hair greying at the temples, and wore a black suit. The man seemed rather skilled with firearms, his eyes showing his confusion and yet his hands were firm on the weapon, and Rose couldn't help but worry.

The Doctor however, kept a calm face, and even smiled at the other people in the room, a library he had noticed. “We're not armed,” he said as he raised his arms to show. “So could you please put that down?” he tilted his head to point the gun.

The other man, who wore a three-piece suit, glasses and had short spiky hair, looked at the Doctor and Rose incredulously, as if they had appeared out of thin air. Which they actually did, Rose thought, because that's how the TARDIS moved. The man turned his body -instead of just turning his neck, Rose noticed- to look at the other. “Mr. Reese, pardon my asking, but did you put an illegal substance in my tea earlier?” They both were ignoring the Doctor's question.

The man who was still aiming the gun didn't blink as he replied. “That would be a logical explanation, but no, I didn't.”

The Doctor and Rose exchanged a look, still being watched by the two men and their dog.


	3. One Answer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am soooooo sorry for this very late update! I've had health problems, then there was school and a bunch of other stuff, it hasn't been easy.  
> Anyway, here we go with another chapter, and hopefully I can update all my other stories soon too.
> 
> CBS owns Person of Interest  
> BBC owns Doctor Who

**One Strange Number**

Doctor Who / Person of Interest

* * *

 

"Could you please lower your weapon," the Doctor asked again, distaste obvious in his voice as he mentioned the gun aimed at him and Rose. "We're not armed."

Reese was not one to let the enemy get the advantage of any situation, but the man with long spicky brown hair and a trench coat didn't seem to be lying. In fact, John could see in the man's eyes only dislike for weapons. His stance, half covering the blonde girl with his body, indicated that he would protect her with his life- much like Reese would do for Finch. And Bear wasn't growling at them.

"We're just passing by, we're travellers," Rose said, still warry of the gun pointed at them, but trying to ease the tension. "I'm Rose, Rose Tyler. And this is the Doctor," she added as she took a step to the side and nudged the Doctor.

"Yes, hello!" the Time Lord replied with a grin. "And you are?"

Reese and Finch exchanged a glance, and John lowered his gun, soon followed by the Doctor and Rose who lowered their arms. They weren't quite ready to trust them however. But then Bear decided to go straight ahead and sniffed Rose's shoes.

"Bear-" Reese started, but the dog sat down at Rose's feet and gave a happy bark.

Rose grinned and kneeled, petting the Malinois' head. "Aren't you adorable! Your name is Bear, right?" Bear barked again, as if in response, and Rose scratched behind the dog's ears. The three men in the room were left dumbstruck at the interaction between Rose and Bear. But the Doctor quickly recoiled and smiled, after all it was Rose and animals always seemed to love her.

Trusting Bear's instinct that the strangers wouldn't harm them, John eased his stance and pushed the safety off before putting the gun back in his pocket. "My name's John," the ex-soldier said, finally answering the Doctor's question.

"Yes, that is all very interesting. Sorry to interrup you. But did we just witness a blue.. Police Box appearing out of nowhere?" Finch had kept silent for a long while, but finally decided that it was time to talk about the unnatural apparition.

"Ah, that," the Doctor smiled sheepishly and tugged at his ear. "You weren't supposed to see that. But since you did, it's called the TARDIS this thing, best ship in the universe." The Doctor gave a proud grin before looking around. They were in a library, though it didn't seem to be a public one as they were the only people present. "We travel, Rose and I. We explore planets, asteroids, space bases and other places. Speaking of which, we were on our way to Astrefid, but it seems that the TARDIS has decided otherwise. Where are we?"

"Doctor," Rose said, catching his attention and then looked at the other two men. The Doctor followed her gaze to see John and the other man looking perplexed and wide-eyed, as if the Doctor had grown another head.

"Right."

"Are you telling us you travel in  _space_? What is it, a new mean to go to space that the NASA is keeping secret?" Reese asked, incredulous.

"Impossible," Finch said.

"In space  _and_  time," the Doctor grinned.

"And it's got nothing to do with the NASA," Rose glanced up, still petting Bear who was waggling his tail. "It's actually got nothin' to do with Earth..."

John and Harold shared another look. Were they implying that this box wasn't human technology? None of them had seen antything appearing out of thin air before of course, but extraterrestrial technology? That would explain it alright, but it was still something big to swallow. "You're aliens," Reese finally said, his tone affirmative and yet asking for confirmation.

"I cannot believe that," Harold frowned. "There hasn't been any new life forms discovered on the planets we've been able to reach yet."

"And yet here we are," the Doctor shrugged and slid his hands in his pockets. "And she's not alien," he added while grinning at Rose. "I am. Time Lord. From the planet Gallifrey."

There was a moment of silence in the room, as Reese and Finch took in the possible existence of aliens. Harold took a deep breath before speaking. "You mentioned earlier that your... ship travels in space and time..."

"Oh yes!" the Doctor grinned widely, glad that the shorter man had been able to wrap his head around the fact that humans weren't alone in the universe. "The TARDIS goes everywhere and everywhen; we've seen some odd places and times, haven't we Rose?"

Rose stood up with a last pat on Bear's head and laughed with the Doctor. "That we have!"

Reese stayed silent and observed the scene. There was a fond look in the strangers' eyes, directed at each other; there was no denying that they both cared a great deal about one another, so either they were both nuts or... Well, he and Finch had seen the box materialising in front of them after all. Out of the corner of his eye, John saw Harold pinch the bridge of his nose and rub his eyes.

"Alright," Finch said. "Let's admit, for argument's sake, this is all true. What are you doing here?"

"Well that's the point," the Doctor replied. "We don't know where we've landed."

"Earth," John hesitated. "New York, er, 2013."

"Oh, great year!" the Doctor exclaimed, his tone light. "Mind you, not a perfect one, politics and all that."

"I've always wanted to visit New York!" Rose squealed, her eyes lightening up with enthousiasm. "New York of the future," she said, her tone dreamy. "Nothin' like New New New York though, right?" Rose turned to the Doctor and laughed.

"Future?" Harold asked. With the whole discussion about aliens, Finch and Reese had forgotten all about the new number they had gotten a few minutes ago. She was standing right in front of them while she had been reported dead back in 2006. She was another mystery.

"Yeah, when I left home it was 2006," Rose shrugged. "2013 is the future for me."

"I'm afraid to inform you that nothing of importance has changed since," Harold gave a small smile. He had decided to leave out the part where she should be dead. The girl seemed joyful and didn't seem to have a reason to fake her own death. Unless and accident had happened, like it did to Harold. But then again, she travelled in time and space with an alien, so how could he even begin to guess at what happened. And Reese followed Finch's lead, not saying anything on the matter.

As Harold and Rose talked, the Doctor took a look around the room. He could see behind a shelf of books, a computer with a couple of screens, a keyboard and a pile of books on a large, round table. There was a transparent board behind the table, a chair in front of the screens, a dog bed under the table, and next to it, another chair turned to face the first one. And this part of the room was lightened by large windows. The Doctor took a step towards them to go investigate the computers and books further, but he stopped as he saw John move closer to the shorter man in a reflex to protect him.

"Sorry," the Doctor apologised. He could recognise the same protectiveness in John's moves as in his own when his companion was in danger. Rose had noticed too and smiled knowingly. "I just wanted to look around."

"It's alright, John," Harold glanced at John, the calm in his eyes appeasing the ex-soldier. "Doctor -is it?- you can look around, but I'm afraid you will not find much."

"Ah but the Doctor, that's me, always curious!" The Time Lord then realised he didn't know the man's name yet. "And you are?"

"You can call me Harold," he said, his tone business-like.

"Good name that is, Harold!" The Doctor ranted on as he stepped to the side to study the few book shelves he could see before reaching the desk. "Do you both live here?" he asked, curious. There seemed to be food, water and a good electricity access even though it didn't seem like a public library.

John shot an amused look at Harold. "No. We work here."

Bear walked past the Doctor to lie on his bed under the desk. Rose was deeply interested in the books she could find on the shelves. "What kind of work?" she asked, picking up on the conversation.

Finch, feeling a bit more at ease, felt the corner of his lips tuck up in a small smile. "We help people in need."

Rose looked at them in disbelief for a second before bursting out in laughter. The noise echoed in the Library and gave the place a new strange, although agreeable, sense of life. "You're kind of like the Doctor then. He likes helping people too, though he's a magnet for trouble. Aren't you, Doctor?" But there was no answer. In worry, Rose turned to face the desk, where the Doctor was looking at a pile of books. "Doctor?"

Frowning, the two men did the same. They had come to accept the two strangers, but they didn't trust them yet. If the man called the Doctor was going to do something to endanger them, Reese wouldn't hesitate to throw them out.

"That's strange," the Doctor said in a breath as he picked up the pile of books to look at their sides. They were arranged in a way that reminded him of something. There were letters and numbers... Authors... That was it! The TARDIS' message! "Rose! Look at that!" he jumped excitedly around the desk to join her under the wary eyes of Finch and Reese.

"May I ask what you're doing?" Harold asked, a frown still plastered on his face. How could an alien be interested in the particular books John had picked up to find their new Number?

"This is it!" the Doctor replied as he showed the books with a broad smile. He stopped next to his companion, bumping shoulders with her. "Look Rose, don't they remind you of something?"

"Excuse me, but I'll have to ask you again; what are you doing?" Finch asked again, confused and irritated that he didn't get an answer the first time. Reese stepped towards them.

Rose examined the books closely. The white stickers composed a string to letters and numbers, and the authors... She had seen them before, in that particular order, even. Her eyes widened in understanding. "Oh my God, weren't they on the TARDIS screen earlier?"

"Yes!" the Doctor exclaimed excitedly before turning to the two men. "Before we landed here, my ship left us a message. A list of those exact same books!"

Finch and Reese exchanged a confused look. "How could that be?" John asked but Harold only shrugged.

"What did you use those books for?" Rose asked.

"If the TARDIS sent us this message, it must be important. 'Could explain why we're here." the Doctor pressed them.

Deciding that the situation could work on their favour at some point -especially on trying to better understand their new Number-, Harold sighed. With a last look at his partner, he went on, "We have a way of knowing if a person is going to be involved in some kind of danger." The Doctor raised a brow but let the bespectacled man continue. "We receive a string of numbers and letters, which we translate into a Social Security Number through the books."

"A person is in danger then?" the Doctor asked.

"Or about to commit a crime," John added.

"And who's that?" Rose wondered, looking at the books that held such invaluable information.

Harold took a deep breath. "You, Miss Tyler."


End file.
